Casey's General Stores (NASDAQ:CASY) Stock Rating Upgraded by Gordon Haskett

Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Casey's General Stores (NASDAQ:CASY - Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Thursday, Marketbeat.com reports.

A number of other research firms have also commented on CASY. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Casey's General Stores from $403.00 to $428.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set a $450.00 price objective (up from $400.00) on shares of Casey's General Stores in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Casey's General Stores from $460.00 to $470.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. StockNews.com downgraded Casey's General Stores from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Casey's General Stores from $451.00 to $454.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $424.00.

Casey's General Stores Trading Down 2.3 %

Shares of CASY traded down $10.37 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $432.17. The company had a trading volume of 270,776 shares, compared to its average volume of 255,901. Casey's General Stores has a 52-week low of $284.57 and a 52-week high of $445.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $410.19 and its 200 day moving average price is $395.35. The firm has a market cap of $16.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.83.

Casey's General Stores (NASDAQ:CASY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The company reported $4.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.29 by $0.56. Casey's General Stores had a return on equity of 17.17% and a net margin of 3.57%. The business had revenue of $3.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.24 EPS. Casey's General Stores's revenue for the quarter was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Casey's General Stores will post 13.94 EPS for the current year.

Casey's General Stores Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 17th. Investors of record on Monday, February 3rd will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.46%. Casey's General Stores's payout ratio is 13.94%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Katrina S. Lindsey sold 450 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $427.13, for a total value of $192,208.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 2,247 shares in the company, valued at $959,761.11. This trade represents a 16.69 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Mike Spanos purchased 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $396.76 per share, with a total value of $198,380.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,097 shares in the company, valued at $1,228,765.72. This trade represents a 19.25 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.56% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Casey's General Stores

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new position in Casey's General Stores during the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Casey's General Stores in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Casey's General Stores by 941.7% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its stake in Casey's General Stores by 22.5% in the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 158 shares of the company's stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in Casey's General Stores by 24.2% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 149 shares of the company's stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. 85.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Casey's General Stores

Casey's General Stores, Inc engages in the provision of management and operation of convenience stores and gasoline stations. It provides self-service gasoline, a wide selection of grocery items, and an array of freshly prepared food items. The firm offers food, beverages, tobacco products, health and beauty aids, automotive products, and other non-food items.